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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · sharp · coach · foot · mark · season · cell · wave

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cell — a phone
  7. season — of the year
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. season — in sport
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cell — in biology
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mark — a trace
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. foot — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com